Introducing Spanish Town & The Valley

Spanish Town isn’t a town so much as a long road with businesses strung along it. It’s the commercial center of Virgin Gorda, and probably gets its name from a (severe) corruption of the English word ‘penniston,’ a blue woolen fabric used long ago for making slave clothing on the island, rather than from any Spanish connections. Islanders referred to their settlement as Penniston well into the 1850s.

The harbor dredged here in the 1960s is home to today’s Yacht Harbour, the heart of Spanish Town. Overall the settlement is a sleepy place, but the mix of islanders, yachties and land travelers creates a festive vibe.

‘The Valley’ is the long rolling plain that covers the island’s southern half, including Spanish Town.